Hughes Mountain Natural Area

Continuing with our series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure," we feature this Missouri Dept of Conservation area. Directions: Cross bridge at Chester, IL, then Mo 51, then Co H, then Co Z, and enter I-55 north. Take Rt 32 exit to Farmington. Proceed north to Rt 8 and then a left turn on Co M. Follow several miles until you see the brown sign for this place.

This is an easy gradual ascent of 0.75 mile along the Devil's Honeycomb trail. Upon arrival, you have a 270 degree panoramic view over distant mountaintops. At this unusual glade-top, roam around among the polygonal rock formations. The pre-Cambrian and Rhyolite rock outcroppings are among the oldest exposed rocks in the US. It looks like a giant used a cookie cutter on this huge glade-top. Retrace the trail back to the parking area.

This area was featured in the February,2005, Shawnee Sierra newsletter but never got posted on the website, so a home for it is created on this blog. While this trail is further away from our normal postings, the motive here is to afford those with more limited hiking abilities to have an outdoor experience. On Mo 21, approx 10 miles away, take the trail at Elephant Rocks State Park (http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm). This is a one mile PAVED loop around gigantic formations. If you plan a trip to Branson, continue south from there on to Rt 86 for Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. This commercial site enables the hiker to walk along a paved, flat trail along waterfalls, cliff lines, rock formations, and caves. A tram car comes by every hour for those who are weary. http://www.dogwoodcanyon.org/. More info on the above areas from Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net. More pictures at wikipedia.org and this place on search line. Coordinates here are N 37.801994 and W -90.70985.

Secret Canyon Trail

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature Secret Canyon which is part of Lusk Creek Wilderness in Shawnee National Forest. I have described other areas of this wilderness previously: scroll down this blog for Lusk Creek to see the trail for Natural Bridge/Saltpeter Cave. Also, our website to see Indian Kitchen Trail (http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm).

Directions: From Harrisburg, IL, take Rt 145 south for approx 9 miles and turn left onto Oak Road. Drive this winding paved road 4.2 miles and turn right onto Oak Blanchard Road. You can also access this spot from Herod, IL, by taking Williams Hill Road to Blanchard. Commence this gravel road and look to the left for a fantastic ridge top view over the valley! We will drive 1.7 miles until you see a small parking lot on the right and brown sign for trails 457/492A. There is also sufficient room on the shoulders of the road for 5 cars. This road was fine during my January,2011, visit; it may not be desirable after a rainy season. Since this is a designated wilderness, groups are limited to 10 hikers or horse riders.

492A proceeds in a circular fashion with excellent tread and easy grade subsequent to its reconstruction last year. Early on, there is an unmarked junction-veer left. We travel thru woods and ravines until a "T" junction. The sign says left for Secret Canyon (trail 457). Pressing on, we arrive at an overlook and waterfall at the mouth of the canyon. The trail slowly descends to the base,and now we have a continuous steep cliff line on both sides. This trail moves in a serpentine direction, showing off the long icicles, rock formations, small caves, slot canyons, and a huge shelter cave. The latter was approx 75 ft deep, 100 ft wide, and 25 ft high. There is a horse highline at that spot. GPS coordinates here are 37 32' 18"N and 88 31' 48" W.

Eventually, the trail gradually ascends thru cliffs which diminish upon arriving at a junction. The sign says left on 457 to Natural Bridge, or straight ahead for 492D. I retraced my route back to the car. While returning, there is one place that looks like an intersection-veer left at the orange ribbon. From the mouth of the canyon back to my car, it was 30 minutes. For any questions contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net

11/01/2011: sign for oak blanchard rd gets turned around in the wind. If unsure, when oak rd suddenly becomes williams hill rd, start looking on the right for this road. 10-12-12: I have found another route which may be either shorter or quicker. Take Rt 145 to Rt 34, go on 34 to the first county rd on the right. Follow this several miles. It will end at a intersection( a T). go left and travel to the next right turn. this will be the road to secret canyon.

Photo courtesy of Scott Campbell from the River to River Trails Society.

Seventysix Conservation Area

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure," we travel to Seventysix conservation Area trail 3 miles NE of Brazeau, Missouri. Directions: Cross the bridge at Chester, IL, and drive 4 miles to a left turn on County C. Follow this for approx 20 miles and look for County D. Ignore the first sign for D, and continue to the next one. So far County C is a good road, although it is hilly and winding. It suddenly ascends from a flat plain to a ridgetop road with frequent distant views. County D is paved until we reach the conservation area.

Look for the second parking area on the left and arrive at the trailhead. No information about the trail is noted at the signboard. The trail is well-marked, but its ascents and descents are rugged. We start out on a long climb with cliff walls on the right and steep ravines on the left. We switchback to the top and enter a field. The trail becomes a wide swarth between acres of soybeans, corn, and wild grasses, along with frequent views of the Mississippi River and opposite bank. There are spur trails which afford overlooks into sinkholes, including ones with ponds. After 0.3 mile on top, we descend steeply thru woods, hit bottom, and look for a bridge and stair steps. We now have a short climb which brings us to an overlook above a major sinkhole area. The trail appears to end here. The length of the hike was approx 40 minutes each way.

Upon returning to the trailhead, drive over to the river and walk along the tracks for some views of steep ravines. Note a number of places for primitive camping. Approximate GPS coordinates 37 40' 25"N and 89 31' 28"W. For better pictures at the top and cliff line, Google southeast missourian and seventysix conservation area (the website title is too long to write here). North of this area on County C, note a turn for Red Rock Landing Conservation Area. Near its entrance the road seemed very questionable, plus a creek flowing over the road. For further questions, contact Bob Tyson at 618-684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

04/09/12: correction on the GPS coordinates. 37 40' 27.411'N and 89 37' 22.239"W

Quetil Trail

Continuing with our series "Adventures With Uncle Bob - Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature Quetil trail, owned by the Village of Alto Pass, IL. Directions: Take Rt 127 south from Murphysboro to Alto Pass. Proceed thru town to a small parking lot. The entrance to the trail is well-marked, along with a historical display marker. This level-grade trail is a renovated old rail bed approx 1/4 mile long. Most of it is graveled and there are 3 benches along the way. On the left we have a pretty,long cliff line averaging 40-50 ft; On the right, note all of the free-standing huge boulders. During leaf-off, note the adjacent valleys and ridge tops.

At one point there is a rock staircase in the cliffs to ascend to the top for the picnic area and further views over the horizon (you can also drive to that bluff top from downtown). Eventually, the cliff line will diminish and the trail continues thru the woods, ending at a private property gate.

This is an excellent trail for those who are more physically-challenged or unable to handle most trails in the Shawnee. GPS coordinates 37.64859 and 89.34329 Pomona Quad. Any questions, contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

Limekiln Trail

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature Limekiln Trail in Cypress Creek National Wildlife refuge. Directions: Take I-57 south from Marion, IL, to Ullin exit. Proceed east on Shawnee College Road. There are two trail heads. Turn right onto Cache Chapel Road for the west end; turn right onto Long Reach Road for the east end. The trail parking lots are clearly marked and both approx 4 miles from I-57 exit. The trail is approx 2.5 miles long. While in this area, there are other trails to the east: scroll down this blog to Cache River trails as well as our website for Heron Pond(http://illinois.sierraclub.org/shawnee/unclebob/adventures.htm). I started at the east end.

For the first mile, we alternate prairie and floodplain forest. The refuge people indicate I am looking at giant and green Foxtail vegetation along the way. This wide grass trail is mowed well and small trees have been removed to make the trail. Tall grasses line the edges. Soon this becomes a rim trail overlooking the Cache River swamps. We arrive at a clearing point to view Tupelo and Cypress trees in the water. Note the thickets of Button bush across the river similar to Kudzu. Later, we arrive at another clear overlook with more extensive views of the same in the lake. Note the distant duck blind. Traveling on, there are private property signs - just don't venture off the trail. No fishing or hunting here. Continuing on, we cross two sets of 200-500 ft wood footbridges. Later, the trail becomes an old road thru the forest, and ends at the west trailhead parking. I clocked 1 hr and 20 minutes to complete the trail. Upon contacting their office (618-634-2231), it is suggested that April is optimal for a visit as spring flowers/vegetation proliferate. With heavy rains, a couple spots on the trail could be flooded. More info at the above number or Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net. UTM coordinates are 315467 and 4128024.10/05/2011:other coordinates are 89 6' 39.83"W and 37 16' 43.09"N

Indian Point Trail

Continuing with our monthly series,"Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we feature Indian Point Trail in the Garden of Gods Wilderness Area and part of Shawnee National Forest. This trail was described in the December, 2006 Shawnee newsletter but never got placed on the website. Here it is again.

Directions: From Harrisburg, IL, take Rt 145 south to Rt 34. Follow it thru Herod, IL, and turn onto Karber Ridge Rd. Go about 5 miles and turn at the sign for Garden of the Gods. Turn on this entrance road to the recreation area and follow to backpacker parking lot. The signboard says no horses or rappelling. The trail starts as a continual gradual climb thru a pine plantation. Come to an unmarked junction: Go straight ahead if you only want to access the Indian Point overlook, or to start the loop trail from the cliff base; Otherwise, you can turn left and take in the views from the top of the cliff line and later descend on switchbacks to the base trail. Let's start from the left, knowing it will be easier to descend the switchbacks, rather than a long ascent.

Continue thru the woods until the trail skirts the cliff tops. We have frequent overlooks over distant ridge tops as well as cliff canyons below. Eventually we make a continual gradual descent on switchbacks. Watch for an unmarked junction: turn right and arrive at the base of the cliff line. The trail has been easy to follow due to blue markers.

The cliff line runs approx 3/4 mile with frequent, gentle "up and down" rocky terrain. At the point where the trail goes uphill and touches the cliff, climb uphill off-trail to a 30-40 ft shelter cave. During leaf off, we still have views over distant ridge tops. Note the anvil shaped free-standing boulder. Go another 20 ft and climb up to 2 large caves. One has a right turn inside, making the cave about 75 ft long. Back on the trail, go about 100 ft and climb a major slot canyon. Later on, we approach 2 more shelter caves: 20 ft and 40 ft. After reaching the end of the cliff line, we ascend thru woods to Indian Point with its unobstructed views over the valley. Watch all the buzzards glide thru the air without flapping their wings. The trail continues to the left. Reach the original loop junction and return to the parking lot. While here, drive over to the main parking area for the observation trail. Other nearby trails are described on this blog index. Distance on this trail was approx 2 miles or 2 hrs and 10 min with off-trail exploration. GPS coordinates are approx 37 36' 0" N and 88 23' 0" W. Further info contact Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net.

Shawnee Saltpeter Cave

Continuing with our monthly series, "Adventures With Uncle Bob-Guide to Self-Adventure in Southern Illinois," we present Shawnee Cave. In November, 2006 an article appeared in the Sierra Club newsletter for it, but never got posted onto the website; this is a reprint.

Take Rt 127 south from Murphysboro, IL, for 7 miles and watch for the sign at the top of the hill. Turn right and follow the road thru the gate downhill to the trailer and pay the entrance fee: $5.00 per person and kids are free. Always call 618-687-9663 to make sure it is open. The owner's main business is selling firewood and promoting music festivals at the cave. This means he cannot be home all the time. Visit the website at http://www.cavefest.com/ for upcoming music events. No glass bottles or pets allowed.

Continue downhill to the parking area. This shelter cave runs several hundred feet. Note the intermittent waterfall over the rim. Upon following the north end of the cliff canyon, note a bridge. Take this thru another parking lot and resume the trail. At some point it reaches a clearing, turn right. We come to Big Bear Den slot canyon. Further along, we cross a bridge with missing planks and continue downhill to form a loop trail. At some point note a side trail on the left to ascend 5 ft to the base of a pretty cliff line and lake. Little Bear Canyon is on the left as a tunnel thru a cliff. Retrace your route or continue the loop to arrive back at the parking area. Several picnic tables here as well as restrooms. Boating is no longer allowed for insurance reasons.

On the way back uphill to the entrance, we have signs to turn left for rim views. The road is part grass and then gravel. Due to some deep ruts in the road, you may want to park near the entrance and walk, unless you have a high clearance vehicle. Walk about 1/3 mile. There are 4 observation points to look down the canyon, the cave, and adjacent ridge tops. There is a turn around place at the end that loops around a cliff formation. There has also been a line of cliffs along the way on the right. More info from Bob Tyson at 684-5643 or robkay43@webtv.net. The GPS coordinates are N 37.652625 and W 89.321541 08/31/12:there is now a "for sale"sign at the closed gate. Rather than delete this article,I will wait and see if someone will re-open it.